Seller’s Net Sheet: Free Template & Tips From the Pros

Thankfully, the days of presenting your client a smudged photocopy of your brokerage’s seller’s net sheet are long gone. Today, there are dozens of free online net sheet calculators, apps, presentation tools, and DIY options that would make both your inner Steve Jobs and Warren Buffet happy.

In order to give you a better sense of the awesome options available to you in 2017, we put together this guide. Here’s what you’ll learn:

What is a Seller’s Net Sheet?

A seller’s net sheet is document used by title companies, Realtors, and other real estate professionals to give a home seller an accurate estimate of their net proceeds (the amount of money they’ll make after expenses like closing costs) from the sale of their home. A seller’s net sheet factors in fixed and variable expenses like brokerage fees, escrow fee, lawyer fees, real estate taxes, owner’s title policy, existing mortgages on the property, agreed upon repairs, or many other possible expenses. It’s important to note that these expenses can vary widely from state to state.

**Download Our Free Multi-Offer Seller’s Net Sheet**

Click image to download .xlsx file

If you’re just here looking for a free, versatile, easy to use seller’s net sheet calculator to download, click the picture to the right to download ours. Our net sheet factors common closing costs, and allows you to compare up to three offers side by side on the same spreadsheet. Your clients will love it!

How to Use Our Seller’s Net Sheet

Our net sheet is an xlsx spreadsheet which can be opened in Microsoft Excel, Open Office, or Google Sheets. To use it, just download the file, then open with your favorite spreadsheet program. Note: to open the file with Google Sheets you may have to download it, then upload to your Google Drive.

How to Create Your Own Seller’s Net Sheet

If you’re working for one of the larger franchises, then you will already likely have a decent seller’s net sheet in your closing package. If you don’t work for a brokerage that has their own net sheet or want something a little nicer to present to your clients, there are many options available. Here are some of the most popular ways Realtors are creating net sheets in 2017:

Price: $15 – $34.95 per month Popular CMA and listing presentation software like Cloud CMA or allow you to create your own custom net proceeds sheets to present to your homeowner at the listing presentation. If you want to learn more about CMA software, check out our in-depth buyer’s guide here.

Price: Free If you have access to Zipforms, then you should be able to track down and edit a net sheet created by your association. The only real drawback to Zipforms is that some people find the interface a bit wonky to use.

Price: Free Fidelity Agent is a free app from Fidelity National Title available for IOS and Android devices that allows you to quickly and easily create custom net proceeds sheets to present to your homeowner. The nice thing about using an app like Fidelity Agent 3.0 is that it includes state and country-specific information, which will save you the trouble of looking it up.

Price: Free First American Title also has a pretty great net sheet app for IOS and Android devices. Like Fidelity Agent, it includes state and county-specific information.

Your Title Company’s Website

Price: Free Many title companies also have online net proceeds calculators that you can use for free. The only real drawback with many of these calculators is that the sheets they create are not ideal for listing presentations. You can download a net sheet, but they are difficult to brand and customize.

Price: Free If you want something truly custom, then you’re going to want to build it yourself. With a little time, effort, and a few formulas, you can create your own totally custom seller’s net sheets. To get started, you can download a template like ours and simply make it your own.

Tips and Strategies from the Pros

In order to get a better sense of how Realtors are using seller’s net sheets in 2017, we talked to 10 top producing listing agents from around the country. Here’s what they came back with.

“Red Oak has a net sheet in our listing packet. But I always go to the title company for exact figures. I have a strong relationship with an escrow officer at Chicago Title and Eden and her team will jump through hoops for me.”

“I always use a seller’s net sheet with my clients as soon as we start talking about pricing. It’s a great way to manage expectations and avoid any surprises with the fees that are involved in selling a home. A lot of first time home sellers have no idea that fees to sell go beyond agent commissions.

I use my own spreadsheet that I created for my website with clients because it’s more comprehensive and is tailored to our market. I prefer the net sheet to be as specific as possible because sellers rely on that information to make a decision on which offers to accept, reject, or counter.”

“I typically have a net sheet with me on my listing appointments but I don’t always present it unless the seller asks for one. Sometimes sellers have a total number in mind they want their house to sell for and that is their main concern. Others may ask something more specific that is usually tied into the questions about commission and when they ask if there are any other fees on top of the commission, that is when I can show them a net sheet that shows them the typical transfer tax cost, fees for the escrow company, and state or city mandatory requirements their home may need and so on.”

“As a Realtor I use the MLS MRIS and it has a new application called Close It. It allows for Realtors to estimate closing costs both for sellers and for buyers. The county is identified, which inputs fixed closing costs and you input the variables such a seller assistance, payoff of loans, commission rates etc to determine the net profit for the seller.. I use it most often when an offer comes in to evaluate what the net would be to the seller at different negotiation amounts. It is also helpful to determine how much seller contribution the buyer would actually require to purchase the home. I also use the program for buyers to determine how much they would need to bring to the table. I am clear in telling my clients this is only an estimate and I am not a financial adviser and to follow up with their lender for the actual amounts.”

“At Tru, we like to have the net sheet as an integral part of our listing presentation, as we typically talk proceeds at the end of the presentation when the Seller is getting ready to sign the listing agreement. In various times throughout the sales process we have the ability to reference the net sheet. Providing a net sheet is especially great when you have a seller that needs to net a certain amount of money, this will help them watch their bottom line throughout the entire sales process.”

“One big variable is the title company charges so I have an app from a local title company that estimates that number. I always tell our sellers that that number is fuzzy. The other complication is the treatment of property taxes. In Chicago we pay property taxes in arrears (2016 taxes won’t be fully paid until later this year) so the pro-ration can be significant. There are two aspects of this that might be hard for sellers to understand: 1) This is not a cost of selling. You’ve already incurred this cost. The sale is just triggering the payment at this time. 2) How it impacts your cash flow depends upon whether or not you escrow your property taxes and how much is in there. If you don’t escrow the then you have to come up with the cash. If you do then you’ve already set the cash aside and it won’t impact your current cash flow. And if you’ve escrowed too much then you will get cash back.”

“I actually have a spreadsheet that I share with my sellers (and a separate one for buyers) with a fairly detailed breakdown of their expenses. When negotiating an offer, I usually prepare a few scenarios to show them some ‘what if’ examples. They can also change the price, closing date and seller concessions to create their own scenarios. If my net is off, it is usually because the sellers payoff is more than they thought.”

”My net sheet is a very simple template in Numbers that I have on my iPad during listing presentations. I use this at our first meeting before the home goes on the market, so we can determine, as closely as possible, what will go into the seller’s pocket at a given price point.

When I do my net sheets, I run a “worst case scenario” meaning, if we were at the low end of the comps, the buyers asked for closing costs, a home warranty, and you had to do about $1,000 of repairs to the house, and after commissions, mortgage payoffs, and seller closing costs, the number that goes into their pockets is enough to accomplish their goals, than anything above that number is icing on the cake. Since it’s an editable document, we can manipulate the numbers to account for different scenarios (ex. what if we got this price w/ no closing costs, etc).”

“I tend to only use net sheets once an offer or offers have been made. Presenting them at the listing signing or soon thereafter can hinder accepting offers when the sellers have seen a larger net first. In my market most homes go for 95-97% of list price so they would be seeing that they net less at that point, which can be upsetting despite the offer actually being reasonable. I will use them once in awhile to show how overpricing could affect the time on market by outlining what they would be paying in mortgage payments while waiting for an offer vs pricing lower for a quicker sale. The net sheet is paramount for my sellers when we have multiple offers. Having each point side by side helps them understand the differences in the offers to be able to make a decision. This is especially true when concessions are asked for in an offer.”

“Once I initially meet with them and discuss what their goals are is when I prepare the seller net sheet based on my suggested list price and I find it typically helps them to decide whether it is the right time to sell or not. I also will prepare one to show them the lowest they could go on their price and still achieve their goal in the end.

I utilize my MLS system (which is Trend) to put together the seller net sheets which I find to be easy to use. When I put them together I use general numbers as fees can vary depending on the transaction. I make sure to disclose that it is not the definite but just a ballpark of what to expect.”

The Bottom Line

Don’t rely on smudged photocopies to make seller’s net sheets for your homeowners. There are tons of free apps, calculators, websites, and software that can help you make a great one— not to mention our easy-to-use spreadsheet template.

About the Author

Emile L'Eplattenier

As a Real Estate Sales and Marketing Analyst at Fit Small Business, Emile is responsible for the editorial direction of the site’s real estate content as well as curating actionable insights from top producing agents and brokerages from across the country. A licensed New York City Real Estate Agent and veteran of the marketing department at Tishman Speyer, Emile has been involved in every aspect of residential real estate from brand new developments to pre-war rentals and resales. Emile also regularly provides market insights and commentary for publications like Realtor.com, Fox News, Yahoo, and US News & World Report. When he’s not writing or editing, Emile enjoys collecting vintage furniture and playing his guitar.

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“Right from the git-go when I sit down with clients to discuss their home sale and marketing strategy is typically when I like to prepare my seller net sheet based on my suggested list price. Typically this approach helps them to understand and decide whether now is the right time to sell. In addition, I will also prepare a net sheet to show them the lowest price they could possibly go on a sales price and still achieve their aforementioned sales goal.

I utilize Chicago Title’s (Chicago AgentOne App) on my iPhone to assemble either a buyer or seller net sheet which I find super easy to use. Remember, when you create a net sheet, use “general” numbers, as most fees vary depending on the transaction. Also, I absolutely make sure to disclose, disclose, disclose with my clients that this is not an exact net result, but rather just a ballpark figure of what to expect.

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